Thoughts After HackDay: Garden One for Social Action

We had our second HackDay with IoT Fuse. Our goal was to get the grow-lights operating and the water hoses threaded into the structure. I was excited that around twenty or more people came. I felt that the people who came were diverse, but that a more inclusive community will take me actively, with sincere urgency, creating a relationship with the Black and GLBT+ tech communities. I'm committed to Garden One as a platform for inclusion, and willing to be more aggressive and take much bolder steps to becoming a more active co-conspiritor in the work that is already being done to create more social equality for more people.

I was happy to accomplish one of my goals this month, to propagate a relationship with Harbor Lights Homeless Shelter. I did this by connecting with Joan Vorderbruggen of Made Here, Hennepin Theatre Trust/We Do Community Art Director. She was newly appointed on their Advisory Board and promised to announce BWM's interest in creating a relationship. We have worked together in the past with the 5to10 Hennepin Placemaking with DAP, Domestic Abuse public art project, and twice with Made Here. Joan is one of the most committed people I ever met to creating more equity and its an honor to start a relationship with her organizations that may pave the way for the garden to impact more vulnerable people.

I thought more about how a relationship may look like,, Ultimately, I's like there to be regular greens supplying the shelter. But what would instant leadership roles or Hour-long jobs look like? I thought of creating instant opportunities, a "$20/ 1 Hour Leader" program, where a person in need works an hour providing their skills, or work on a creative garden project and is compensated $20 cash on the spot. No expectation of returning to work or even doing tasks they are untrained for, the idea is to create opportunities for raising money and honoring the leaders in each of us where we are at today in life. We all grow best if watered where we are.

My hope is to host a monthly Hackday, and follow up with a post that summarizes monthly actions and accomplishments, as well as sets the next month's goals on ways Better Word Museum is using Garden One to create more equity and inclusion in the center of downtown. It will serve to help me form more structured practice, or an accountability journal for MASS Action, Museums as a Site for Social Action. My goals are: 1. Reach out to create some more relationships in Black and GLBT+ community. 2. Connect with more people and create unexpected and uplifting opportunities people can participate.in Garden One. 3. Organize the next Hackney and invite new partners and friends!